2023 Central Nervous System Injury and Repair Gordon Research Conference and Seminar

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Project Summary: The 2023 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) series, entitled “Central Nervous System Injury and Repair”, together with its accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), will bring together interactional researchers at all levels to discuss progress and challenges for CNS injury, regeneration, and repair, with particular emphasis on spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury is a major medical challenge since it leaves millions of people worldwide paralyzed and with loss of sensation, cardiorespiratory, bladder, and sexual dysfunction as well as pain for their lifetime. Despite many years of efforts, effective treatment remains lacking. This is in part due to the complexity of this disease where in addition to the damage of axons, spinal cord injury leads to profound changes in the cellular and molecular environment, involving neurons, glia, immune cells, and other cell types. An emerging consensus is that combinatorial approaches targeting multiple cellular and molecular aspects of the injury response will be necessary to treat spinal cord injury and induce functional recovery. At this conference, we will showcase the most exciting and cutting-edge scientific progress in this field, with the goal of collectively accelerating the discovery and translation of treatments that will lead to functional recovery. The conference speakers cover broad topics from basic mechanisms in neuronal circuitry and axonal injury in animal models, clinical application, and progress in stem cell programming, through to clinical practice and patient care. The discussion will be encouraged both formally in the scientific sessions and informally during poster sessions and time set aside for social interactions. The accompanying GRS will serve as an interactive forum for trainees to communicate their research and broaden their peer network. The GRC will also feature a Power Hour, open to all attendees, to discuss challenges we face, particularly women, underrepresented minorities, disadvantaged researchers, and trainees. We expect a large attendance from basic and physician-scientists, as well as representation from industry. We also anticipate a breadth of diversity across gender, ethnicity, disability, age, and geographical location that will ensure a broad and inclusive communication of the scientific content.